Abstract
The concept of strategic planning came to prominence in the 1980s under the banner of New Public Management; since, several of the private sector components of strategic planning have been applied and interpreted within the public sector. The rise of the internet in the mid-1990s changed everything; government as a traditional hierarchical entity had devolved into a series of interconnected networks. At the core, strategic planning is a collaborative approach to organizational planning consisting of concepts and tools that align the present state of an organization with the future's goals and objectives; yet the growth of technology has greatly altered the process. This entry explores the development of public-sector strategic planning, specifically the impact of technology and how strategic planning has grown throughout the digital era; along with potential opportunities and challenges moving forward as technology and organizational dynamics continue to evolve.
TopIntroduction
The concept of strategic planning came to prominence in the 1980s under the banner of New Public Management; since, several of the private sector components of strategic planning have been applied and interpreted within the public sector. While many of the concepts were not new, the application to the public sector was. The rise and general acceptance of public sector strategic planning also coincided with the digital revolution beginning in the late 1980s, offering enormous promise, but also an equal number of potential pitfalls. As the digital era became increasingly sophisticated, new possibilities emerged for governance and strategic planning.
The rise of the internet in the mid-1990s changed public sector planning from an almost exclusively hierarchical entity, into a series of interconnected networks. Hierarchical authority was still prevalent, but gradually the lines of authority, and in turn accountability, had been increasingly blurred amongst a growing number of actors. The further technological innovations have had major implications on government and governance structures, and the strategic planning process is critical in promoting innovation, growth, and effectiveness (Arend, Zhao, Song, & Im, 2017).
This entry explores the development of public-sector strategic planning, specifically the impact of technology and how strategic planning has grown throughout the digital era; along with potential opportunities and challenges moving forward as technology and organizational dynamics continue to evolve.
Key Terms in this Chapter
New Public Management: The government paradigm that advocated running government like a business, with emphasis on efficiency.
Collaboration: Being an active member of a group working toward a common goal.
Networks: Increasingly digital, networks allow the sharing of resources and collaboration of stakeholders.
Strategic Planning: A collaborative approach to organizational planning consisting of concepts and tools that align the present state of an organization with the future’s goals and objectives.
Social media: Websites and applications that allow users to create and share content within a social network.
Crowdsourcing: Using technology to engage and collect citizen input; leveraging the ‘wisdom of the crowd’.
Strategic Management: The overarching management process of determining how to achieve strategic planning goals.